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| Wednesday, May 23 Race for title wide open this season By Michelle Smith Special to ESPN.com |
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Welcome to the WNBA in 2001. From a competition standpoint, it is shaping up to be the best year this young league has ever known with a handful teams positioning themselves to make a run at the WNBA's fifth title and not one of them is the Houston Comets. Let's cut right to the chase, shall we?
Western Conference Preview
Los Angeles Sparks
2000 record/finish: 28-4/1st Size will not be a problem for this team. Or will it? The Sparks have a bevy of big bodies with Lisa Leslie, DeLisha Milton, Rhonda Mapp and Latasha Byears. What they don't have is a definite floor leader or a go-to scorer at the 2 or 3 spot. Ukari Figgs may not be the answer at point guard. Tamecka Dixon is expected to spend a lot of time running the offense and providing some extra scoring spark. Mwadi Mabika is a gifted player at the 2, and Milton is likely going to move down to the 3 and provide matchup nightmares galore, but she hasn't yet been an offensive force in the WNBA. Make no mistake, however, this is a contending team. By virtue of the Sparks 28-4 record last season, they have earned the distinction.
Sacramento Monarchs The Monarchs have strength and depth, two factors that lead many to believe that they are the favorites for the WNBA title. This team has two established All-Star-caliber players in Yolanda Griffith and Ticha Penichero and a very good supporting cast. Shooting Ruthie Bolton-Holifield may be playing on her last legs, literally, having undergone another offseason surgery. But Sacramento has covered its bases by stealing Edna Campbell from Seattle. And Kedra Holland-Corn is a huge spark off the bench, also allowing coach Sonny Allen plenty of options for a three-guard set. Griffith will get help underneath from another new acquisitions 6-foot-7 center Kara Wolters and LaKeisha Frett as well as returner Tangela Smith.
Minnesota Lynx In order to compete in the West, Minnesota had to get bigger. Coach Brian Agler hopes he has worked to that end with the drafting of Janell Burse and the acquisitions of Val Whiting-Raymond as well as Michele Van Gorp in separate offseason trades. All that post help complements a roster that already includes one of the league's best all-around players in Katie Smith and reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Betty Lennox. Kristi Harrower returns from Australia to run the point. Svetlana Ambrosimova, the team's top draft pick, probably won't be available this season because of the foot injury that prematurely ended her college career. This could be Minnesota's best team yet and still, the Lynx are going to be hard-pressed to make a major move in this conference.
Portland Fire
2000 record/finish: 10-22/7th The Fire will be best known this year for their newest player Southwest Missouri State product Jackie Stiles who finished as the NCAA's all-time leading scorer and burst onto the national scene when she led her team to the Final Four in St. Louis. But the fact is Portland is a scary team, one that pinned losses on some of the conference's best teams last year. They are athletic enough to wreak some havoc this year as well. New faces include power forward Kristin Folkl and point guard Tamicha Jackson. This team's deepest spots are at the perimeter where Stiles will work for playing time with Sophia Witherspoon, Stacey Thomas and Carolyn Young, who has not played in two years but was one of the most dangerous scorers in the old American Basketball League.
Seattle Storm Two words: Lauren Jackson. The 19-year-old Australian will be the talk of the league this year. And she will make the Storm a better team from the moment she steps on the floor. But this team has a long way to go and it's unlikely that Jackson alone can pull off the miraculous task of getting Seattle into the playoffs this season. This, after all, was the team with the worst record in the league last season at 6-22. Jackson will be flanked by Kamila Vodichkova in the post, the Russian star playing in her second season. And there are high hopes for former Tennessee star Sameka Randall, who is penciled in as a starter at shooting guard, joining veteran Sonja Henning in the backcourt. Dunn felt confident enough in Randall's ability to deal Edna Campbell, the team's leading scorer last season, to Sacramento.
Utah Starzz All of a sudden, a team that has yet to make the WNBA playoffs is saddled with the big expectations of being a title contender. If Jennifer Azzi is healthy, the Starzz have one of the best floor leaders in the league. If Natalie Williams is healthy, they have one of the best low-block players in the world. Utah also has 7-2 Margo Dydek, coming off the best European season of her career, as well talented guard Korie Hlede, veteran Adrienne Goodson and promising rookie in Marie Ferdinand out of LSU. Utah gave coach Fred Williams a contract extension, not only a vote of confidence, but an acknowledgement that this is a team he should be able to win with.
Houston Comets
2000 record/finish: 27-5/2nd The Comets will be hard-pressed to repeat a title run for the fifth straight year mainly because Tina Thompson will be hard-pressed to carry this team on her back when she is the sole focus of every opponent's game plan. Without Cynthia Cooper and Sheryl Swoopes, Houston has lost 47 percent of its scoring from last year. And there are other issues: this team has neither a truly experienced point guard or a dependable center. Point guard Coquese Washington has not been a starter in her WNBA career. And now Houston needs Janeth Arcain's scoring punch at the two. Amanda Lassiter started out as a rookie with promise, and now she will get a trial by fire, getting plenty of playing time at small forward. This much is for sure. Houston's dominance might have been getting boring, but if the Comets can pull another title out of the hat, it will be anything but.
Phoenix Mercury Cynthia Cooper makes her coaching debut this season, hoping her magic will translate from one team to another and from the spotlight to the sideline. She has young talent to work with, but she also has some aging players that aren't quite what they used to be. In the young department, the Mercury has 19-year-old point guard Kristen Veal, who will get a lot of playing time while both Michele Timms and Michelle Cleary heal from knee injuries. Then there's Brandy Reed, the petulant forward who may end up as one of the league's biggest stars in the next couple of years. At shooting guard, Coop has veterans in Tonya Edwards and Briget Pettis as well as the ultimate veteran 37-year-old Jennifer Gillom, who may be playing her last season. Gillom is flanked in the post by Maria Stepanova, the Russian center who has never quite lived up to her potential.
Predicted order of finish in Western Conference
Eastern Conference Previews
New York Liberty
2000 record/finish: 20-12/1st The Liberty have taken three shots at a title, coming up short each time. Maybe this is finally the year they win it all. All the pieces would seem to be in place. Teresa Weatherspoon, all 35 years of her, still have fire and energy, and now she has some help in the form of Andrea Nagy, acquired in a deal with Washington. There's plenty of depth at the perimeter with leading scorer Vicki Johnson, 3-point shooter Crystal Robinson, the underrated Becky Hammon and newcomer Grace Daley. Rebecca Lobo is back after a two-year absence, but she will have to battle for playing time with the strong, young post pairing of Tari Phillips and Tamika Whitmore and veteran Sue Wicks. New York has something many teams don't experience at the highest levels of competition in this league.
Cleveland Rockers Coach Dan Hughes was able to bring this team back to life last season, and now he will need to lead it into a new life without heart-and-soul point guard Suzie McConnell-Serio, who retired after last season. Eva Nemcova, the team's perennial All-Star, will ease back into the season following knee surgery that caused her to miss the entirety of training camp and the preseason. Helen Darling takes over at the point and is joined on the perimeter by Merlakia Jones. Mery Andrade should get the majority of minutes at the three with the post tandem of Chasity Melvin and Ann Wauters, the Belgian star who was the No. 1 pick in the 2000 draft. The Rockers are also looking for big things from Australian forward Penny Taylor. Health is going to be a huge factor for this team. The Rockers aren't quite deep enough at key spots especially point guard to weather a major injury very well.
Charlotte Sting
2000 record/finish: 8-24/8th The Sting, a team that went to the WNBA playoffs in each of the league's first three season, basically have nowhere to go but up after last year's 8-24 effort. But perhaps that the right direction considering that Dawn Staley is currently healthy, Andrea Stinson is a consistent scoring option and new additions such as Allison Feaster and Clarisse Machanguana, both acquired in the trade that sent Rhonda Mapp to L.A., can only make this team better. Summer Erb showed up 30 pounds lighter, which could indicate her readiness to become a real post presence in this league. New coach Anne Donovan is emphasizing defense and that makes top draft pick Kelly Miller a good fit. Miller will not only learn her point guard trade from Staley, but she will probably be a better defensive matchup than Staley's battered knees will allow.
Detroit Shock New head coach Greg Williams has a nice place to start. He has inherited one of the league's deepest rosters and plenty of hope about a return to the playoffs after a one-year absence. Wendy Palmer, the team's leading scorer and rebounder last season, is back, along with talented youngsters Dominique Canty and Edwina Brown. The Shock suffered last season because several key players did not play due to Olympic commitments. Australians Rachael Sporn and Carla Boyd are back this season and will make important contributions. The most notable newcomer has to be Detroit native Deanna Nolan, the rookie out of Georgia, who is wowing team officials at training camp.
Washington Mystics
2000 record/finish: 14-18/tie-4th Tom Maher has plenty of success in Australian, both the national team and in that country's professional league. He will have no bigger challenge than turning the Mystics into a WNBA franchise worthy of its tremendous fan support. Yes, the Mystics made the playoffs last year, but they did it with a 14-22 record, which doesn't exactly smack of success does it? There is talent in Washington. Nikki McCray and Chamique Holdclaw are pretty good players around which to build a team. But for some reason, it hasn't worked to this point. Maher has brought in his own point guard, Australian Annie Burgess, and got himself a nice shooting guard in the draft in the form of Georgia star Coco Miller. Vicky Bullett and Murriel Page are solid players in the post. The key will be Holdsclaw. She has reportedly dropped 15 pounds and is playing well. We all know the damage she can cause when she's at her best.
Orlando Miracle The Miracle were a playoff team last year for the second consecutive season, but the conference has gotten more competitive and the team is going to have to go this season without guard Adrienne Johnson, who sustained a season-ending Achilles injury in the preseason. Still, there's plenty of scoring to be had from Shannon Johnson, Nykesha Sales and Taj McWilliams-Franklin, all of whom averaged double figures last season. Elaine Powell, coming off a knee injury herself, is going to be counted on to fill the void left by Adrienne Johnson. It remains to be seen whether top draft pick Katie Douglas can bring the success of her college career to the pro level or whether she will struggle as so many of the college stars have in their first seasons. Without Adrienne Johnson, this team will be hard-pressed to better itself measurably in an improved conference.
Miami Sol The Sol was the league's best defensive team last year, allowing just 63 points a game. But the fact is, it had to be. Miami couldn't score well enough to keep up otherwise. But this year, the Sol are in much better shape. Not only do they add All-American Ruth Riley to their post mix, but both Elena Baranova and Sandy Brondello are able-bodied and in the country. Baranova averaged 10 points a game in three seasons with Utah and Brondello is a constant perimeter threat. Returning to the roster are point guard Debbie Black, one of the league's most experienced floor generals, versatile guard Sheri Sam and center Marlies Askamp. Sam will get some help from Tracy Reid, the one-time WNBA rookie of the year acquired in a deal with Charlotte.
Indiana Fever Nell Fortner gets to try her hand at the WNBA for the first time this season and she will have her work cut out for her with the Fever, where no player on the roster has more than two years experience in the league. Indiana had three picks among the top 10 in the April draft, the most prominent of which was Tennessee star Tamika Catchings. But Catchings probably won't be able to play until at least mid-June as she continues to rehab the knee injury that ended her college career in January. The Fever has three players returning who scored in double-figures last season, including point guard Rita Williams, 3-point specialist Monica Maxwell and Alicia Thompson. Draft pick Kelly Schumacher is the most likely candidate to fill the shoes of leading scorer and rebounding Kara Wolters, who was dealt to Sacramento in the days before the draft.
Predicted order of finish in Eastern Conference
WNBA Champion Michelle Smith of the San Francisco Chronicle is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.
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